A Voice in the Dark
by mushroompirate
Summary: Set just before the start of the manga. A trip through town at night sets into motion a chain of events that changes the lives of the three Tendo sisters. An old terror stalks the streets of Furinkan, and no one is safe, not even Nabiki Tendo.


Nabiki Tendo wanted a new pair of shoes. Oh, she had plenty of shoes in the closets at home, to be sure. Some of them were nice shoes that she'd managed to get on sale. They went well with her more expensive dresses when she wanted to impress. Other pairs she owned were casual shoes. They were quite comfortable to wear and could be slipped in and out of easily. She liked those kind of shoes, and wore them all the time. No, she had plenty of shoes at home, but that was the problem. All of her shoes were at home.

She breathed heavily as she turned around a corner and rested against the wall. Her feet hurt. Especially her right foot. She reached down to touch her bare foot as it rested against the pavement. She wished she could do something to ease the pain she felt. She wasn't like her older sister, though. She didn't know of any useful pressure points or healing techniques to make the pain go away. Her sister read books about that sort of thing, and knew how to help people. All Nabiki knew how to do was make enemies.

She heard the noises behind her and knew she couldn't stop for long. She gave herself a few pauses for breath before she bolted off again, tearing down the small, narrow road. She scanned the area for anything useful, a place to hide behind, or something she could use to create a momentary barrier. But the pain in her foot shot up her leg, distracting her plans. She grit her teeth and tried hard not to let out a sound to signal the pain she felt.

A pair of running shoes that she could tie up nice and tight would be ideal. She didn't need shoes with the best in arch support or ergonomic designs. Any kind of shoe would be good, as long as they came in a pair. She had only a single shoe on as she ran, worn on her left foot. The shoe was old. The flimsy, worn out soles did nothing to prevent the slivers of pain that shot up into her knees with each stride taken on the hard cement. The fit on the shoe was very loose, too, and it flapped up against her heel with each stride taken, threatening to fall off like the other one had.

Her bare foot hurt as it pounded against cement. The texture of the ground was rough and uncomfortable against her feet, designed to provide traction against vehicle tires, and not designed to be tread on by the running strides of a teenage girl accustomed to wearing shoes. The ground was quite cold, though, and the constant waves pain built up by her repeated movements were starting to dull. If it was any consolation, she realized, she wouldn't feel anything soon because her foot was going numb. But it wasn't. She still had the pain in her other foot to worry about, as well as the growing discomfort in her hips caused by the poor posture her shoes' condition afforded her. She still had to deal with the aching muscles in her legs and her lungs as she pushed herself past all of the limits she thought she had.

Nabiki Tendo wanted a new pair of shoes. Never had she imagined that she would want a new pair of shoes as much as she did right then. But more than that, far more than anything else, she wanted to get away. She wanted to survive the night and live to see another day.

Because at that moment, Nabiki was running for her life.

* * *

><p>A Voice in the Dark<p>

A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction

by mushroompirate

Chapter One

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><p><em>Several hours earlier...<em>

There were guests in the dojo. There were over a dozen, and almost all of them were middle aged men. Despite that commonality, however, the men all differentiated from each other greatly in terms of their height, girth, and their confidence and manner. Even their clothing and worn accessories spoke volumes of the differences in affluence between the men, or at least, as much as could be discerned from outward appearances. It would be clear to any observer looking in on them that the group gathered in the dojo came from all walks of life and ran a gamut of occupations, representing a diverse community in their membership.

Which was probably the point, Nabiki idly noted to herself. She started watching them file into the dojo earlier, as her homework was done and she didn't have much else to keep herself occupied with. She was meeting with a mark in town at 7:00, but until then she had nothing else to do. She opened the door in the hallway by the stairs, the door that led down from the house to the training hall via covered walkway, and watched. The guests all had to take an alternate route outside the house. It was a narrow path that led from the wall's main gate to the middle of the walkway through the estate's outer garden. This meant that they all had their backs turned to her as they went into the dojo, allowing the girl to observe the gathering crowd while remaining unseen, just as she liked it.

Some of them were obviously wealthy, she noticed. She had her eye on one in particular as he went to the dojo, walking with confident strides among his peers. She wasn't exactly an expert on suits, but she knew a good one when she saw it. Snappy duds, and a good fit, too, which probably meant it was tailored. Old money tended to dress more traditionally, so this was someone who had risen up through the corporate ladder into a high paid position in a professional field. Someone who'd been smart enough in high school to land in a good university, earning himself a good pedigree and making the right connections to sail through life with. Nabiki didn't mind a man like that. While she appreciated cunning, drive, and the spirit of adventure in a man, she also didn't mind one who knew how to play his cards right and get his way without much trouble.

His frame was slender, but he wasn't overly thin. He was shorter than her own father, but had roughly the same kind of build. She imagined he exercised similarly as well, with the repetitive aerobic movements of jogging and martial arts training. He was definitely attractive for his age, but he was probably just as old as her dad. No, that was just too old for her. She liked easy money, but she wasn't into that sort of thing. Besides, with his looks and wealth, he was probably married already.

She knew some girls from school who got involved with older, married men like him. The allure of designer goods and a disposable income led many girls to brave the deceitful game of cat and mouse with the husband's wife. But it could never end well. It was always a relationship doomed to fail. Either the man would break down from the pressure and end it, or the wife would find out, and some of those wives could be a real killer. She wouldn't ever get herself into a situation like that. Too much bad mojo. And she had her pride, as well.

Ah, she spent too much time focusing on him. Somehow he'd noticed her observations, and turned around to come over towards her. Nabiki opened the door a tad more as he approached, willing to hear what he had to say.

"Good afternoon," he said. He bobbed his head forward in a semi-polite bow, and gave her a little wave. She noticed the glint on his finger. Yep. Definitely married. "You must be one of Tendo's daughters, um..." He looked at her through the doorway and trailed off. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something. Perhaps he wanted her to offer a name?

She didn't give it to him. "Yep," she said.

"Shohei Aoki. Pleased to meet you," Mr. Aoki said. Perhaps he thought he'd get a response if he introduced himself first. It didn't work.

He frowned, then took a glance around the yard. "It's a lovely house you have here. I used to spend a great deal of time here, back when I was around your age. I was a student of... your grandfather, I suppose?" He said. "It's close to Shakujii park, too. I like the woods around there. It's still in the city, but it feels closer to nature somehow. Not as many lights there at night, too. It's nice to see the stars sometimes."

She tilted her head to the side and nudged her shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. _Married_, she thought. _And weird, too_.

"It's good to see your father is still doing well after all these years. He's been through much..." His eyes looked down, and he lowered his head again in a solemn bow. He returned his gaze back to Nabiki and gave another short bob. "If you'll excuse me," he said. He turned and walked way, back on his original path to the training hall.

She closed the door, no longer interested in watching the last few stragglers make their way into the dojo. She recognized the men as members of the Furinkan community group. An unofficial political body, they organized the neighborhood watch and represented the interests of the Furinkan shopping district and other businesses around the area. She understood that they were actually quite effective lobbyists and held large amounts of influence on the Nerima city assembly, but she wasn't at all interested in small town politics herself.

Today, the community group was having a meeting in the Tendo dojo. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, as the group often held meetings there. Her father, while a prominent member of the community organization, hadn't used the dojo for teaching martial arts classes in several years. With no steady income, it was a mystery how the household budget managed to pay for property taxes, utility bills, and the expenses of every day life. Nabiki supposed that the dues collected at the meetings probably helped somewhat, though, so she couldn't complain about the gatherings too much.

Still, it bothered her to have a bunch of strangers running around the place all the time. She rather valued her privacy, after all. She'd asked her father if she could join the meeting earlier, because she figured that if they were going to invade her privacy anyway, she might as well participate and see what she could get out of it. Unfortunately, she'd been denied. Her father had told her that she was to stay out of the meeting, and under no circumstances would she be attending. _Feh_, she thought. That man only put his foot down on things that absolutely didn't matter.

Bored, and with nothing else to do, Nabiki went to her room. She climbed up the stairs and creeped down the hallway into the middle bedroom. She busied herself by going over some of the personal accounts she kept, especially the information about the mark she was meeting later that evening. Time passed by and she was called downstairs by her father several hours later.

She put her things away and went downstairs, into the living room. The whole family was already there, she noticed. Their father was sitting solemnly at the head of the table. He turned his head towards Nabiki as she entered the room and directed her to sit on one of the seats across from him with his eyes.

Kasumi was, as always, the perfect example of poise and grace. She was seated in a composed kneeling position. Her back was straight and her hands were folded neatly up against her lap. Her head was held high and she had a neutral expression on her face as she regarded their father with all of her attention.

Akane was just the opposite. She sat cross-legged at the table, reading a manga and not paying much attention to the situation. She turned a page and laughed a little as she read the text from amongst the black and white images. In the same motion, she idly flipped some of her long, dark hair off to the side and out of her face.

Nabiki sat down casually and looked coolly across the table at her father. She'd wanted to know some of the juicy details of what that meeting was about earlier, and maybe she could work it out of him after he was done with whatever he wanted to talk about.

He didn't let her down, and beat her to it. "Now that you're all here," he said. "I'd like to discuss the community meeting we had in the training hall earlier."

Nabiki nodded, somewhat pleased that her father was getting straight to the chase. "Great!" She said. Kasumi's expression was unchanged. Akane... was still reading her comic book.

"Akane..." Soun said. He waited until the girl raised her eyes to meet his gaze. "Put down the comic book, please. This is a serious matter."

Akane looked to her two sisters and shrugged. Her long hair flipped back and forth, the long ends brushing up against Nabiki's shoulder. She bent the corner of one of the pages and closed the book, setting it down on the table. "What's up, dad?" she asked.

He nodded. "Right," he said. He cleared his throat and began again. "In the meeting, we discussed several issues, of course. Who to support in the next election, what to do about the graffiti on the bridge, and so forth. This is of little concern to you, I think."

"You read my mind so well," Nabiki said. Kasumi shifted her gaze from their father just long enough for Nabiki to notice the glance. The older girl didn't frown or narrow or eyes or anything, but Nabiki knew she was expressing displeasure.

He ignored her comment. "However, there was a very important issue being discussed at the meeting that I, quite frankly, do not agree with the consensus on," he said. "We certainly have our share of delinquent activities from the youth here in Furinkan. But it's all in good spirit, and none of it is truly malicious. It's just part of the culture of Furinkan. A tradition, really..."

Akane snorted. "Part of the culture," she repeated, mimicking her father. "A tradition! I bet he didn't have to deal with the mob at school..." Kasumi directed a glance towards her as well, and Akane stopped.

"Because of that, our community is very sensitive to the issue of crime. We try to work directly with the police. To make sure that they know what is part of the norm here in Furinkan and what is clearly NOT," Soun said. He looked Nabiki in the eyes. For a moment, she felt a tinge of emotion seep into her heart. Was it fear? Had one of her after school activities been found out? Guilt? But then he looked away, to meet the gaze of her two sisters, and the feeling was washed away immediately.

"Which leads us to our very unfortunate topic," he said. "You may remember Mihoko Murase?" He paused, but there was no response from his daughters, so he continued. "She was the homeless woman who was found stabbed in the river a few weeks ago... Such a tragic ending! I remember when she was such a bright, hopeful young woman... She just fell off the track and needed help, why could no one give it to her?" Nabiki was sure there were tears in her father's eyes. She would've rolled her own eyes at him if the discussion hadn't suddenly turned so serious.

Soun continued. "She was knocked unconscious and then stabbed, fatally, through the mouth, before she was dumped in the river," he said. He shuddered, and closed his eyes. "I'd like to spare most of the grisly details, but the murder weapon was apparently very peculiar. Police thought it must've been a home made knife of some kind, probably from one of the other vagrants, and were investigating it accordingly as a one-off incident."

"But..." He said, trailing off. "That's uncertain now."

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. Akane raised her hand from the table hesitantly and began to speak. "W-why's that?" She asked.

Nabiki felt another emotion, now. It was a sinking feeling that filled her guts. This was it felt like to be right, while wanting to be wrong. "There's been a second murder," Nabiki said. Not a question.

Soun nodded, confirming her assessment.

"So," Nabiki said. "Not an isolated incident at all... At least two victims. A serial killer."

Though her mouth was closed, Kasumi exhaled sharply. "Who was it..." She finally asked. "...this time?" She bowed her head.

Soun looked to Kasumi. "She was an older woman. She lived in... Oh, I think you'd probably remember her. Her name was Toshie Iwakura."

"Mrs. Iwakura," Kasumi said. She took a deep breath and looked off to the side.

"Who's that?" Akane asked.

"She was kind of an older lady. I don't know how they met, but she was a friend of mom's," Nabiki said. "I remember they had the same birthday. She hasn't been by in some time, though."

"Oh!" Akane said. "A family friend."

"Yes, a... 'friend'." Soun grunted uncomfortably. Nabiki knew why. Mrs. Iwakura was a senile old woman. She had the same birthday as their mother, and decided that the two of them should celebrate it together. She never seemed to get the idea that their mother was dead, though, and kept coming by year after year, until her father had made it absolutely clear she was unwanted. She was a harmless old lady, but some things hurt more than others. There were some things that no one wanted to be reminded of, and that was one of them.

"She was found dead earlier today, in her home." Soun said. "She didn't have many friends left, and no one had seen or heard from her for some time. There was a horrible smell coming from her house, though, and the neighbors got concerned and finally called someone to take care of it. And... that's when they found the body. She was hit in the head so hard that all of her teeth broke, and then stabbed by that same knife. There wasn't any sign of a forced entry, and nothing seemed to have been stolen. The police estimate that she was killed a full week before the homeless woman was."

Kasumi suddenly got up. "Excuse me," she said. She gave a short bow of her head and left the room, moving into the kitchen. Nabiki heard the faucet turn on.

"So why are you telling us this?" Nabiki asked. She shifted positions and sat with her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. Her eyes were locked with her father, though, and she tried to stare him down with her gaze.

"Isn't that obvious?" Soun asked. "But all right, it's a fair question. I'm not enjoying this discussion. Not one bit. I'd like to just cover my ears and pretend it away, if I could. That's what the community group is going to do." He shook his head. "Sales have been slow in the shopping district lately, and they don't want news of this to make it any worse. So, they're not going to make a big deal of it. Some of the neighborhood watch will be on patrol at night when they can spare the time, and we'll be passing information to the police when we can, but that's it. No curfew, or warning signs, or anything."

"But I can't accept that. A serial killer should **never** be taken lightly," he stated emphatically. He didn't shy away from Nabiki's gaze. Instead, he looked his two daughters firmly in the eyes. "I'm telling you this because I want you to realize the full gravity of the situation and be careful. Akane, I know you like to jog, and your exercise is important, but try to only do it during the daylight areas if you can help it. Nabiki, I know you like to... hang out with your friends after school." He sounded unsure. He probably had no idea what it was she did. "But if you're out late, please try to stay in a large group in a well populated area. Don't go off somewhere strange, please."

Kasumi returned to the living room. "Excuse me," she said again, and sat down at her seat.

"You're worried too much!" Nabiki said. Everyone turned to her. She looked around and then settled on Akane. "Right, Akane?"

"Yeah!" Akane said confidently. "I'm a martial artist. I can handle someone with a knife, no problem. Get him near me and he's done for."

"Just you watch, this thing will be solved in no time. This serial killer or whatever will take one good look at lil sis here and fall instantly in love. He'll try to get close and then, KAPOW! into the river. The police'll fish him out a few hours later and Akane will get a trophy. She might even get some reward money!" Nabiki grinned at her sister. "I'll help you figure out how to spend the money, if you want. Or even if you don't."

"Nabiki! Akane!" Kasumi said. "That's not funny. Don't even start."

Akane narrowed her eyes at Nabiki. "Knowing you, you'd probably meet up with him and sell information about me first."

"Girls, there's a serial killer on the loose, please be serious about this..." Their father said.

"You bet, Akane! And then I'd start taking money for bets, too. Gotta make things interesting, after all." Nabiki said. Her eyes glanced over to the clock. "Oh, look at the time. I've got a meeting with him right now. I'm going to be late!" She untangled her arms and legs and sat up.

"Nabiki!"

"I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding." Nabiki said. She waved her hand dismissively. "Listen, kids, I've got to meet a 'friend' for some coffee in town. I'll keep safe and I'll be back before long. Don't wait up for me, but leave a light on!"

"Nabiki!"

"Ciao!" And with that, the family meeting was over.

* * *

><p>Nabiki was late. She hated being late. She hated being early, too. It wasted her time and she absolutely couldn't stand to be kept waiting on people. But being late was far worse. It gave off an impression of being unprofessional. She didn't like that. She wanted to make sure everyone knew that she was deadly serious about her business. Being late also gave people an excuse to leave before she got there. Then they'd have to reschedule and waste even more time. That wouldn't do at all. No, she hated being late.<p>

She opened the glass door and entered the diner, feeling the surge of the cool air inside brush up against her and blow her short hair around. She idly brushed her hair with her hand as she scanned the restraunt's aisles, quickly giving each of the clientèle a glance over. She spotted him. He was getting up to leave. She smiled at the girl at the counter and pointed down the aisle towards her target. They both nodded to each other and Nabiki started walking.

His back was turned to Nabiki as he got out of the booth he was seated in, so she tapped him on his shoulder to catch his attention. "Oh! Don't mind me, I'm done here," he said. He turned around with a polite smile on his face. "I was just lea-" The smile dropped.

"Ryotaro!" Nabiki exclaimed brightly. "I hope you weren't about to say you were leaving. I just got here, and I'd really appreciate your company!" A smile of her own graced her features.

"Ah, well, yes, you see..."

"You're not going to leave a girl high and dry when she needs you, are you? What would your mother think? Is that how she raised you?"

"Don't talk about my mother!" Ryotaro said rather loudly.

Nabiki saw a woman in another booth turn in surprise.

"I see she raised you well! Come and on and sit, then. Keep me company," Nabiki said.

He sighed and sat back down. Nabiki sat down in the seat across from him and grabbed a menu from the side. She scanned the menu and hummed. "Have you ordered yet?" She asked. She looked over the boy and examined his features. He was a year older than her a good bit taller as well. He was slender and somewhat effeminate, but in a way that was attractive. His face reminded her a lot of the man she met at the dojo earlier that day. What was his name? Aoki, that was it. Shohei Aoki. And Ryotaro Aoki was sitting across from her... She smiled. This was one more bit of information she had about him.

"No, I was just waiting for you, and then I thought you weren't coming..."

She handed him a menu. "Order something, then! And eat up!" She said. "You're paying for everything, of course."

"Damn it, Tendo," he said. "Why do you have to be like this? Why can't I just give you what you want and then go home?"

She set her menu down and looked him in the face. "Because it's more fun this way!" She said. She picked her menu back up. "Don't you like it? You get to pretend like you have a girlfriend for a change."

No response.

She set her menu down to look at him. He had a small smile on his face and was still looking at her menu.

"Oho," she said knowingly. "So the birthday present idea worked."

His small smile turned into a grin.

"I think you're really dumb, you know that?" Nabiki said. "She doesn't even live in Nerima anymore. You've seen her like, three or four times in the past year? Why are you pining away for this girl so much? There's plenty of others to choose from. And that gift was really expensive."

"Shut up!" Ryotaro responded. "You don't understand what it feels like to be a man in love!"

"No, I don't," Nabiki admitted. "Thank goodness."

"She liked the present. She was surprised that I even knew it was her birthday next week. Of course I didn't tell her that you told me."

"I've known her for years. Her birthday's like two days after mine," Nabiki said. She shrugged. "Not hard to remember."

"Of course we can't go on dates together because she lives in Sendai now. But we can still write to each other," he said enthusiastically. "She gave me her address. And her phone number too! That's enough for now. And there's summer vacation to think of!"

Nabiki shook her head. "Pathetic."

"Well, no one asked for your opinion, Tendo," he muttered.

"No? Well you get it free of charge," she said with a smile. "I'm glad you're enjoying your investment. I hope that enjoyment will ensure that you pay me back promptly."

He sighed and reached into his pockets for a folded envelope. Hesitantly, he handed it over to Nabiki. "Always business with you, isn't it?" He asked.

"Why yes, of course," she said. She took the envelope and opened it up, revealing a small stack of bills. She pulled the bills out and fanned through them as he looked on nervously. "You know I take my business very seriously. Which is why I'm left wondering why you're trying to cheat me."

"What are you talking about?" He said very quickly.

Nabiki sighed. "Don't play games. We agreed on an 8% interest rate."

"We renegotiated later!"

"No," she said, slowly. "We agreed that you could pay me less last week because you couldn't make the full payment. But you had to make up the difference this week, and you didn't. In fact, you're still paying me less."

"I don't have the money."

"Why not? Your dad is rich. I've seen the kind of suits he wears. Surely money shouldn't be a problem for you."

"How do you know about my... Never mind, you're Nabiki Tendo."

She smiled.

Ryotaro continued. "I don't get much of an allowance. Father says I don't need a lot of money. He also says that I need to earn my own money to really be able to appreciate it. I told him that I don't have enough time for a job! I've got club activities after school, and then I have to go to my cram school to study for entrance exams."

Nabiki nodded. "But when he was in high school," she said. "He managed to find time for club activities, studying, and even practice martial arts. Right?"

His eyes widened. "How the hell do you... Never mind," he said. He nodded. He closed his eyes and put his hand up to his forehead. He rubbed at his temple. "You've pretty much got it."

"Well, sorry to say," Nabiki responded. "I don't really care about your circumstances. A deal is a deal. Find a way to pay me." She put the money back in the envelope and closed it. She held it up and rapped it against the top of his head. "Or I'll find a way for you to pay me."

She got up to leave. "I guess I won't be eating here," she said. She waved the envelope at him as she passed by. "You can thank me later."

* * *

><p>Nabiki walked out of the SEIYU department store, a bag slung over her shoulder. She whistled to herself and looked out into the night sky. It was a bit of a walk to get there from home, but the clearance sales had definitely been worth it. She'd been holding out for weeks on a blouse that caught her eye, and her perseverance had paid off - she got it nearly 90% off! She'd been so pleased with herself that she let her guard down, and bought another two blouses and a cute skirt for only half off.<p>

"They sure know how to reel me in," she said, chuckling to herself.

She stepped down onto the pavement and frowned. She bounced around on the balls of her feet and looked at her shoes. She was wearing an old pair of low, laceless shoes, and they were starting to deteriorate. She'd noticed it before, but hadn't realized until now just how far gone they were. Maybe she should've gotten a new pair of shoes instead. But she had some others at home, so it wasn't anything to be worried about.

She swung her bag around and started walking home. The bright lights of the down town and department store faded behind her as she turned down onto narrow, residential roads. It was a dark night. The moon was only a sliver in the sky, and it was hidden behind a patch of clouds. It had been clear all day, but over the past few hours, the sky steadily began accumulating billows of dark clouds. The weather had gotten colder too, and Nabiki hunched over and rubbed her arms.

Up ahead, Nabiki saw a still haze of bright light glowing from above the silhouettes of houses and trees. As she walked forward, she heard a cacophony of rumbling and growling noises. Coming out of the narrow street of a residential block, she came to a larger main road and saw a parade of cars, all of them sitting stalled. Somewhere in the distance to her left, she saw a pulsating pattern of blue and red lights flashing in the night.

The rumbling of engines was loud, and she could no longer hear her footsteps as she walked forward. She went closer to the source of the red and blue lights and saw an area sectioned off by yellow tape and cones. There were several traffic officers with light batons milling around, keeping drivers and anyone else from getting too close. Several wrecked cars sat in the middle of the street.

Nabiki sighed. It looked like she'd have to find the long way home. She started crossing the traffic-laden street. A motorist honked their horn and revved up their engine. Alarmed, Nabiki jumped back as quickly as she could. Make that an even longer way home. She started retracing her steps up the street. She wasn't too familiar with this area of town, but she was sure it wouldn't be too much trouble to find her way home. She moved down a different alley and started walking.

She walked for some time, moving from alleys to narrow streets surrounded by blocks of houses and then back into the tiny, walled confines of other alleyways. It was darker here, the lights above the streets infrequent and widely spaced apart. She felt cold air blow against her face and the exposed parts of her arms and shivered. She saw brighter light ahead, and pressed forward, quickening her pace to reach what seemed like a main thoroughfare. Unfortunately, as she soon learned, the road ended not far from her in the direction she was sure she needed to go.

She pressed her hand up against the wall lowered herself, sitting down between the plastic signs telling her the road was a dead end. She looked out to the road and tried to think, drawing a mental map of the environs and the path she needed to take.

"Okay," she said. She raised her arms up and gestured with her hands. "The department store is here. The road I needed to take is here." She lined her hands up to each other. "But it was blocked, so I went here, and then I went there, and then I..." She stared at her hands as she moved them parallel and perpendicular to each other several times, twisting her body to accommodate her growing map as she traveled further and further from her intended path. She growled. She shook her hands and ran them through her hair, pulling it back. "Nabiki Tendo does not get lost!" She exclaimed to no one in particular. "I'm just a tad directionally confused, that's all." She combed her hair with her fingers and then sat up. "Okay, this shouldn't be too hard. All I need to do is find my way to the river and follow it." She started walking.

Despite her words, however, Nabiki Tendo was lost. It was dark and cold, and she felt very alone. She hadn't seen any one out for some time, and all of the lights in the houses she'd passed had gone out for the night. The only noises she heard were the horns of cars somewhere off in the distance and the sound of the earth underneath her feet. She trudged along, looking everywhere for some sign of a familiar landmark that would help guide her home.

What she saw instead, however, was another person. It looked like a man who was slightly taller than her. He stood still in the shadows created in the space between the pools of illumination shed by the lights that lit the alley. He was wearing a sweater of a muted color, and had a hoodie pulled tight over his face. She could barely make out any features of the man, but she was sure that one hand was resting in his front pocket and the other was held behind his back. She didn't let her gaze rest on him for long. She scanned the area quickly and then calmly turned around and started walking.

She turned a corner and came into another alley. Did these things never end? She continued walking without glancing back. But the city at night was quiet, and her paranoid senses were alert. She could hear his footsteps, and knew he was following behind her. She scanned the area in front of her and saw a narrow gap between two buildings ahead. She continued walking casually before taking a sudden sidestep and darting into the gap. She quickly made her way through it to the other side, where it led out onto a street.

She quickly found a place to hide, a rectangular green trash can along the side of the road. She crouched over and hid behind it, watching the path of the corner she just took. It had to be a coincidence that he was walking behind her in the alleys, right? Now that she'd gone through that narrow passage, he would keep going through the main alley and leave her alone. But no, just as she feared, the person followed her through the gap. It was dark, but as he turned, she saw what he was holding behind his back. A baseball bat? A wooden sword? She couldn't say for sure but she knew she didn't like any of the possibilities.

She considered her options. She could stay where she was. It was possible that he wasn't interested in her in any way. As he turned the corner, he would just keep walking and then she could leave in peace. Or, even if he had some ill intent towards her, it was dark. Maybe he wouldn't even see her hidden behind the trash can. Realizing he'd lost sight of her, he'd panic and run down the street, thinking she'd given him the slip. Yeah, she would be safe as long as she stayed with her knees painfully crouched behind the rotten-smelling trashcan in the cold, dark air. Like hell she would be.

She set her back to the trashcan and crouched low to the ground. She set her hands to the pavement and looked down the street ahead of her, trying to analyze and catalog all of the obstructions that she'd face in her path. Her eyes widened at what she saw. The street she was on was a one way road, too. Up ahead, in the distance, the way was blocked by a wall. It wasn't so high that it couldn't be climbed, however. Can I do it? She wondered. I have to.

She put her back heel on the trashcan and tensed, shifting her weight to the front. She waited and listened. She prayed he wouldn't come any further. But she could hear him getting closer. She could hear his footsteps as he walked through the darkness, closing the distance towards her. Plod. Plod. Kaplod. That was her signal.

She shifted her weight back into her foot, kicking up off of the ground and the trashcan with all of her might. The dark rectangular object flew backwards as she propelled herself forward, its path crossing with that of her pursuer She heard the sound of plastic colliding hard with the swung might of a wooden object. The object was tossed to the side against a wall with the sound of a hollow thud and a chorus of paper spilling out into the wind. By what she was hearing, she assumed he'd reacted fast enough to block the attack with the object he held behind his back, but she didn't look behind her to check.

What the hell did I just do? She asked herself as she ran. If there was any chance of solving this encounter peacefully, it was gone now. She ran as fast as she could towards the wall. She wondered how she would get over it. She wasn't athletic like her younger sister was. Little sister could probably leap over it in a single bound, and then casually balance her way along the top, but she wasn't Akane. Nabiki slowed her pace as she ran forward. She lowered her stance to give her legs some power before pushing off the ground and leaping towards the wall, hands latching onto the edge. She pulled herself up with her arms, and for a moment it seemed like she would get over it with no problems.

But then, she felt something touch the back her leg, trailing down and finally wrapping itself around her right ankle. Cold hands and fingers gripping against her flesh. A cold shiver ran up her leg, and she felt something inside her chest seize up. She was caught.

"Going somewhere?" Called out a voice in the dark. She could almost hear the laughter in his voice and imagined the sinister grin on his face. The voice was muffled through the tightly pulled cloth of the hoodie, but it seemed familiar to her somehow. She didn't let that thought distract her, though. She saw a motion in the corner of her eye and heard the sound of a wooden bat grinding against the stone wall.

The voice of her assailant started talking again, but Nabiki didn't give him the chance to finish. She quickly brought her knee up, scraping against the stone wall, and then brought it down behind her, kicking at the person's face with her left foot. He growled out a muffled cry and momentarily let go of her other foot. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she hoisted herself up with all the power she could muster. He quickly readjusted his hold, grabbing onto her shoe and pulling hard. Nabiki let him have it. The shoe slipped off of her foot and his hold on her was gone.

She vaulted up onto the top of the wall and over in one motion, not wanting to lose any time. She managed to land safely, but just barely, instincts she didn't know she had kicking in as her body remembered her father's instructions on falling when she practiced martial arts so long ago. She got off the ground and ran forward. She heard her pursuer grunt as he tried to climb up the wall with one hand, and then heard the echoing clank of wood as the bat was tossed to the ground. He was going to climb over the wall. She didn't have much time.

She ran and came to a street like the many other's she'd passed that evening. This one, however, had an unusual sight poking out of one of the windows on the second floor. It was a long, white, cylindrical object looking up into the night sky. A telescope. It was dark inside the room, but Nabiki could see a person looking through the device. Of all people, it was Ryotaro Aoki.

"Aoki!" Nabiki hissed out. "Let me into your house! Now!"

There wasn't any response. She had no idea how loud her voice was. It seemed like it was loud enough for him to hear, but it seemed so quiet to her. All she could hear was the sound of her heart beating so rapidly that it threatened to come out as she waited for Ryotaro to answer. _Come on, come on..._

The telescope swerved. Ryotaro peered out the window. "Tendo?" He asked, uncertain. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"No time to explain!" She called out. "Let me in!"

"No way! This is probably some weird scheme of yours!" Ryotaro objected.

"I'm going to scream and knock on your door and your parents will let me in!" Nabiki yelled.

Ryotaro laughed. "Good luck with that!" He said. "My parents have been gone since I came back home. My dad had to make up missed time for some town meeting he went to. He's at the office now. No idea where my mom is."

"AOKI!"

"Mayyybe," Ryotaro said, stretching out the word. There was a playful humor in his voice. "Just maybe, if you agreed to cancel all of the debts I owe you, I'd let you in."

"What? Are you crazy?" Nabiki exclaimed. How could he even suggest such a thing? She was about to give him a piece of her mind but the gravity of the situation sunk in. This was no time to be worried about money or reputation. She wanted safety and she wanted it now, pride be damned. "Okay, fi..."

Nabiki saw her pursuer rounding a corner and she started running. All thoughts of Ryotaro Aoki were gone from her mind. She ran as fast as she could, pushing up and down hard onto the pavement. She ran and she ran. She barely paid any attention to where she was going, letting her survival instincts take over as guide. She had gained some advantage in the chase with the trashcan and the wall, but it wasn't enough. He was catching up with her. Her footsteps crashed loudly against the ground as she turned a corner, and his footsteps trailed behind hers like thunder. But it seemed so quiet next to the pounding noise of blood that rumbled through her head and the sound of her inner voice screaming at her.

All of the fear that she'd laughed off earlier when the family was discussing the killer, and all of the hopelessness she'd felt when she was wandering the streets rushed back to her. _I'm going to die_, she thought. _He's going to kill me. I got lucky last time, but soon he'll to catch up with me._ _He's going to knock me out with that bat so hard my teeth come out. He's going to pull out a knife and stab me to death. He'll toss my body in the river and the police will find it a week later. I'm going to die._

She breathed heavily as she turned around a corner and rested against the wall. Her feet hurt. Especially her right foot. She reached down to touch her bare foot as it rested against the pavement. She wished she was wearing better shoes, but that was unimportant now. She heard the noises behind her and knew she couldn't stop for long. She gave herself a few pauses for breath before she bolted off again, tearing down the small, narrow road. She scanned the area for anything useful, a place to hide behind, or something she could use to create a momentary barrier. She felt pain and terror surging inside of her, distracting her. But then she looked up and realized where she was.

A line of trees loomed overhead in the near distance, their black silhouettes contrasting sharply against the glowing lights of the city night line. The park! She thought. Despite the pain and terror she felt, hope blossomed inside of her for a moment. The park close to home, she knew. She quickly plotted a course in her mind. She would just go through the park and... No. The hope faded as her analytical mind took over. She remembered the discussion with Ryotaro's dad earlier by the training hall. The park was practically a forest. Much of it had only spotty lighting at night. If she went there, she'd only be going there to get lost and then stumble over something in the dark. Going to the park was asking to be attacked.

But, she also remembered, there was an abandoned school near the park. Declining admission rates and poor performance in all areas of academics had condemned it when the city assembly was having budget problems several years ago. The school was closed and the remaining students transferred to the neighboring schools, leaving behind a cold, empty husk. It was supposed to be demolished, but bureaucratic red tape and proper funding took time. Besides, a random martial artist would likely destroy it some time anyway.

A school at night was an excellent place to play hide and seek at, Nabiki realized. There were desks she could crawl under. Windows she could slip out through. The place was big and there were all sorts of things she could use to fight off her assailant with, if it came to that. Yes, that was the best place she could go now, the only place where she had a chance of surviving the night. She picked up her remaining shoe and picked up her pace. She tossed the shoe behind her, idly hoping it would hit the assailant. She ran with everything she had left, and hoped that it was enough.

* * *

><p>Author's notes:<p>

Hi folks! I'm here with another fic.

I'm trying out a genre I'm not entirely comfortable with. Hopefully it will help me grow as a writer to step outside my box and do something different.

I finished this yesterday and then asked around among the people I know for a prereader, but no one seemed very willing, so I decided I would just post it as is. I apologize if the quality isn't very good. I realize that it isn't as good as my last fic, and so much of it feels really clunky to me. I certainly didn't think the chase scene was very suspenseful myself, but I don't really know how to write such a thing and I'm trying to learn... I'm looking for prereaders for future chapters if anyone is interested.

This is an "alternate history" fic. It takes place just before the start of the Ranma manga. How much earlier should become apparent by chapter 4 at the latest. Nabiki/Kasumi is not a pairing, it's just two of the fic's primary characters, so don't even go there!

I'm not sure what else to say. I appreciate reviews and am open up to discussion. Feel free to leave any comments/questions/criticisms you have!

If you're still here, thanks for reading!

9/11/11 - Made some revisions


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